Connecticut | Beverage Container Deposit & Redemption Law
The state of Connecticut introduced a bottle bill in April of 1978 with their Beverage Container Deposit & Redemption Law. In August of 2022, Connecticut’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection released an order to expand the materials covered in the original bill (effective 2023) and increase the deposit amount from five cents USD to ten cents USD (effective 2024).
What's Included?
An updated list of covered beverages from August of 2022 lays out the beverages and containers covered and what is exempt from the bill, including:
Beverages Covered: beer & malt beverages, soda, carbonated mineral water, malt-based hard seltzer and cider, water, sports drinks, energy drinks, juice, juice drinks, tea and coffee, kombucha, and plant-infused drinks.
Containers Covered: individual glass, metal or plastic bottles, cans, jars, and cartons.
Exemptions: wine and spirits, wine or spirit-based cocktails / ciders, milk and dairy products, plant-based milks, mixers, medical electrolyte drinks (like pedialyte), meal replacement drinks, protein drinks and shakes, beverages in paper cartons and pouches, containers <150ml, carbonated drinks in containers >3L, and non-carbonated beverages in containers that are >2.5 liters.
What's the Refund Value?
Similar to Oregon, New York, and Iowa, Connecticut’s bottle bill has a flat deposit rate for all covered containers, at ten cents USD.
Impact of DRS in Connecticut
Like New York and Iowa, Connecticut has average recycling rates when compared to other states with DRS, but they are above the national average:
Connecticut's PET recycling rate for 2018 of 45% is 25.96% higher than the national average (19.04%).
Connecticut's aluminum recycling rate for 2018 of 47% is 15.72% higher than the national average (31.28%).
Connecticut’s glass recycling rate for 2018 of 45% is 19.14% higher than the national average (25.86%).
*data from 50 States of Recycling 2.0 by Ball Corporation & Eunomia
Stay up to date with Connecticut’s Beverage Container Deposit & Redemption Law here.
Read about the bottle bills in the nine other US states here.
